The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-05-02
THE PR0TESTANTISM.
OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

- HA.41}
OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Tho Subject OF n Discourse Delivered mt st.
Luke's Last Nigh. by Rev. j. q. oautt.
A Roview Of the Church's nistory-A
Sermon by Rev. N. l.. Atwood.
The subject Of tho discourse delivered
at St. Luke's P. +, church on tho Island
last evening by Roy. ]. Gibson CAN'T, rec.
tor, was 'The Proteatantism OF tho Eplsco.
pal Church." The announcement that
ouch was to DO tho topic attracted the at.
~tention Of q number not members OF the
church or congregation, and the curiosity
arouaed served TO make the congregation
larger than unusl.
Mr.. CAN'T opened with some introduc.
tory remarks, during which lie Expressed
q desire that the preiudices against tho
Episcopal church were removed, which
could be accomplished by a familiarity
with her history, her ordinances and hei
ritual; he trusted that his paper would
show distinctly that tho Episcopal church
was Protestant, representing clearly and
without compromise tho trutha for which
she,in company withthe church universal
had earneat!y c%onteadoa, since abe re.
ceiyed the commission to boar Him wit.
ness, and declare the truth rs tits in Jesus
Mr.. CAN'T first gave the facts pertaining
to the history of.the ehurch's name:
protestant Episcopal" Until the Amer.
ican Revolution, tho church Ind nc
other name than tho "Uhurch OF Eng.
land In the American Colonies" but
from tho Church Leriew for February,
1887, 1t appesrd that ths terms: "Pro.
testant" and "Epiecopal" wore combined
into tho tiln PROTESTANT Episcopal, in
Maryland in 1850.
/. At a general meeting Of Epiacopaliant
in New York October 9, 1884, tho account
Of their proceedings begina "a follows
"At n convention Of %Clersymen and Lay
Deputies Of the Protestant Episcopal
church In the United States OF America -
tho same title was assumed by tho general
assembly in Philadelphia on September
q, 1855, when Doctor afterwards BtsI,or
White, reported o draft Of an ecclesiaoticaI
constitution for the Protestant Episcopal
church. From that date this American
branch OF the Englieh church has been
universally recognized rs Protestant by
name, rs abe has always been euch by
nature. Tho speaker then quoted exten.
sively IRON history showing that the
mother church Of England Was none the
less Protestant, because she did not assume
the distinctive title, any the less SO than
the churches Of Calvin and Luther. The
word Protestant which, since 1899, had
been applied 10 all who had protested
against the errors OF the Church OF Rome,
was by common consent, and with com.
mon recognition Of it's propriety, made
deliberately a part Of the constitution and
corporate title Of the Episcopal church.
In proving the history and propriety Of
the name, be incidentally, from q Roman
Catholic writer, answered the often refut.
ed charge that tho Episcopal church owes
its existenceand reformation to tho divorce
Of Henry VIII from Catherine. The Lon.
don Table! reviewing q book entitled "The
Trnth About John Wyclif," written by
Stephenson, saying: alt has been a favor.
Ito idea oven with Catholics [Roman] that
Henry VIII had to deal with a good, sim.
pie, believing people whom he sundored
by unparalleled violence from the unity
Of the [Roman] Church."
1.-THE book we are reviewing leaves no
room to doubt that long before tho name
Of Protestant had been invented, Protest
ants might have been counted perhaps
by many thousands on English coil. HAD
that soil not been prepared for it, not
Y the strong Tudor will could have
made the evil plant take root. Protest
antism has had a long pedigree. It had
its rise in the Cesarism Of the Conquersr
and his d%escendanto."
The speaker declared that although this
Roman guide carries US back fve CEN
turtles beyond the reformation, we in
tracing the Episcopal pedigree find our
selves with st. Paul, whom he declared:
II withstood him (St. Peter to the face
because he was to be blamed" Passing
from history, Mr. CAN'T said he would
prove from the Book Of Common Prayer
how full, fair and positive ia the Episco.
pal Church, the representative OF those
doctrines and that discipline aud worship
revealed in Gods word and exercised by
the church, before tho Holy Word was
perverted and those customs overthrown.
Ho began to contrast the actions and de-
cisions Of the first council in Jerusaiem,
and the si1 general councils Of tho church,
with constitutions and canons OF the
Episcopal Church, showing that thore
was no lack Of uniformity, and oil dis
tinctively Protestant. He gave a hurried
review Of the msny othcea in the Book Of
Common Prayer, showing their Protestant
character. He called especial attention
to the t%hirty-nins articles OF the church,
authorized by the Protestant Episcopal
convention in 1901, which, boaidea bsing
the chnrch'a commentary on her faith and
discipline, emboay a decided protest
againot the error and hetesies which from
tho days OF the Apostles would under
mine every article OF revealed faith.
DWELLING upon these articles at considefa-
bio length, he drew lis congregations
attention to the fact, that in every in
where the church denied an error
she as psInistently affirmed the truth;
when she protested agains! an innovation
oAo WILL ll4u ehlub hchtl Cuuteuueu
earnestly for the faith. That upon every
essential in dogma, in disciptining or in
personal %religionB, the church had 8 clenr,
definite and decided opinion. He showed
this in the church's views on the Sacra-
ments, Holy orders. elections and the
PRACTICES OF the church.
In concluding he referred to the vain
attempt to change the name o the church,
saying: We contend that il tho Episco.
pal church ia not Protestant, she ia moth
ing. Upon rP%roteBtantism she anchors
her hopes, her welfare, her cxiatence.
Like her sure foundation and chief cor
ner stone, she psoteats against the world
which knows not God, and against thoae
errors which are but yanities Of men.
She is by her constitution, her creed and
her ritual, Protestant. So long as we have
due regard to antiquity, to revelation, to
our preaent needs, to tho errors which
us on every side, to the great re-.
probabilities we are under, and the love
we feel to our separated brethren, there
will not be one among us disposed to SEQ
the word Protestant stricken from our
corporate title. But wero we disposed to